RT journal article T1 Subnational mobilization and political countermovement in EU trade policy in Belgium, Germany and Spain T2 Movilización subnacional y contramovimiento político a la política comercial de la UE en bélgica, Alemania y España A1 Guimarães, Maria Helena A1 Egan, Michelle K1 trade K1 countermovement K1 Polanyi K1 Belgium K1 Germany K1 Spain K1 subnational K1 comercio K1 contramovimiento K1 Polanyi K1 Bélgica K1 Alemania K1 España AB While subnational governments in federal systems are often treated as potentiallyautonomous policy jurisdictions, central governments have traditionally held exclusive authorityover trade policy. Yet the widening scope of trade agreements that encroach on domestic regulatorypolicies including government procurement, health services, or investor protection has led subnational entities to increasingly demand a say in their negotiation and ratification. Concerns about theimpact on their competences, coupled with arguments that specific agreements threaten Europeannorms and values, has unleashed new forms of conflict between national and subnational entities.Drawing on Polanyi’s double movement concept, we show how EU trade policy has fostered apolitical countermovement where subnational jurisdictions deploy strategies to protect from theeffects of trade liberalization and to defend their decentralized authority. We address subnationalopposition to CETA and TTIP agreements using three contrasting cases —Belgium, Germany, andSpain— to illustrate diverse opposition patterns to EU trade liberalization —from ex ante efforts toshape trade negotiation outcomes to ex post opposition exercising veto power. The article arguesthat allocation of constitutional powers and party politics shape these different oppositional strategies and point to a paradox —EU efforts to speak with “one voice” generate contestation trade-offs at the subnational level in which tensions across multiple levels have evolved around establishinggreater social autonomy and control over market processes. PB Editorial UCA SN 2341-0868 YR 2025 FD 2025 LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/37571 UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/37571 LA eng DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz RD 10-may-2026